Pocket-knife



(No Model.)

A. K. BRAUBR.

POCKET KNIFE.

No. 557,760. Patented Apr. '7, 1896.

AN DREW EGRAHAM. PHUQYLITHD WASH INGrcrLn C I IlNiTnn STATES PATENT Ormea ADOLPII II. BRAIIER, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

POCKET-KNIFE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 557,760, dated April 7, 1896. Application filed April 25,1895. Serial No. 547,103. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, ADOLPH K. BRAUER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knives, of which the following is a specication.

My invention relates to that class of knives in which provision is made for the automatic opening of the blade when released and for locking the bla-de in its closed position and firmly holding the same in its open position.

There are several difficulties to be overcome in providing pocket-knives with a spring whereby the blade becomes self-opening. The principal difficulty is that there is considerable friction between the heel of the blade and the bolsters of the knife, and to overcome this friction a spring of considerable strength must be used. It is desirable that this spring be entirely concealed from view, in order to prevent the knife from appearing unsightly or clumsy. The spring-chamber should also be guarded against the entrance of dirt and dust. It has been proposed to arrange a coil-spring in a chamber formed partially in the heel of the knife and partially in the bolster of the handle and to pivot the blade of the handle by means of a pivot passing through a portion of the blade. This construction is faulty in that it brings the bearing of the blade upon the pivot wholly at one side of the axis of the blade and in that it also reduces the width of the bearing which the blade has upon the pivot to such a degree as to cause the pivot to very quickly become worn through from the strain and friction thus brought to bear upon a limited extent thereof; also, dirt and dust or water can gain free entrance into the spring-chamber through the joint between the rib or bolster and the blade, thus to clog r rust the spring. Furthermore, by this construction the springchamber cannot be made of sufficient size to contain a spring which is strong enough to insure the opening of the blade without making the knife so thick as to present an unsightly appearance.

An object of my invention is to provide a coiled spring actuated self opening knife which will have a better pivot-bearing', will have its blade of thc usual thickness, and yet be provided with a large spring-chamber within which to arrange the spring which operates the blade, and thereby to apply my invention to knives having more than one blade, without increasing to any appreciable degree their bulk or rendering them in any manner unsightly and without bringing the sides of the spring into frictional contact with the walls of the spring-chamber.

The only coiled-spring-actuated self-opening knife which has come to my notice is the one above referred to, in which a cavity is made for the spring on one side of the blade and in one of the ribs of the handle. In that knife one end of the spring is fastened to the heel of the blade, and the other end of the spring is fastened to the pivot post upon which the blade is pivoted. Only a small proportion of the width of the spring (about one-half) can be seated in the blade, and tlie spring cannot be fastened to the blade across the entire width of the spring, and the pivotbearing of the blade is at one side of the midthickness of the blade and the attachment of the spring is upon the other side of such inidline, so that the blade is not balanced either at its pivot-bearings or in its spring' attachment.

One object of my invention is to balance the blade in both of these respects, so that the pivot-bearings on Opposite sides of the blade will correspond with each other and the spring will be attached to the blade across the entire width of the spring, thus making the tension of the spring equal clear across the spring. My invention in thisrespect includes as a new part of a knife a knife-blade the heel of which is provided with oppositely-arranged projecting collars and with a hole extending through said heel, so as to form in connection with the collars a chamber, and I will hereinafter fully describe the manner in which I apply such new part in the manufacture of knives.

An object of my invention is to provide an improvement in the connection between the coiled spring and the handle, this being done in such a way as to give great strength and rigidity and also to prevent any binding upon the blade and consequent friction, which might prevent the blade from being thrown open bythe coiled spring when the catch is re- IOO leased; also, to provide improvement in the fastening between the spring and the blade.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improvement in the means for holding the knife-blade in its closed position and releasing it to allow it to be opened by the coiled spring.

A difficulty to be overcome with automatically-opening knives is that the mechanism by which the blade is operated interferes with the application of more than one self-opening blade at the same end of the handle.

One object of my invention is to provide a structure and combination of parts for a selfopening knife by which two blades can be mounted side by side at either end of the knife, so that by my invention I am enabled to provide a four-bladed knife each of the blades of which will fully open automatically and in which all of the blades can be fully opened at the same time. An objection to be overcome is the sudden stop and consequent snapping noise made by the blade when it has been thrown open. Another difficulty to be overcome in self-opening knives is that of making the blade rigid in the handle when open. It has been proposed to do this by means of a catch to hold the blade when open.

An object of my invention is to cushion the blade at the close of its movement when it is thrown open and to so construct the knife that when it is open the blade will be held rigid and firm by the back-spring, as is the case with ordinary pocket-knives which open with the finger-nail. In order to do this, it is necessary to so arrange the parts that the force exerted by the coiled spring will be effective to throw the blade open against the action of the back-spring and leave the backspring and blade in such position when the blade is open that the back-spring must be sprung back again before the blade will close. In order to do this and also to cushion the blade when it is thrown open, Iprovide ablade having a back-spring seat and shoulder extending from in front of the line drawn through the pivotal point of the blade at right angles to the axis of the blade, and I extend' the back-spring seat to the rear of such line7 and I round the heel from that point toward the front edge of the blade to form a cam increasing in radius from the front edge of the heel of the blade backward to its junction with the back-spring seat,and the back-sprin g and blade are set in the handle with such relation to each other that the initial movement of the blade in opening is not obstructed by the action of the back-spring, and at the end of the opening movement of the blade the back-spring cushions the blade and prevents the snapping sound.

My invention comprises the parts and combinations herein described and claimed and the improved article of manufacture consisting of the knife, as hereinafter described and claimed.

Figure 1 is a side view of a four-bladed knife embodying my invention. A portion of one end of the handle is broken away to expose the interior parts. Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmental side elevation of one end of the same, a portion being broken away. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal mid-section of one end of the same, cutting through the axis of the post, both blades being shown open. Line 3 3 indicates the line of section. Fig. 4 is a like view showing the connecting-post riveted in place and shorter collars on the blades. Fig. 5 is a fragmental view of the inner side of one side of the handle and a fragment of one blade detached from the knife and from each other and looking in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a fragmental longitudinal mid-section of one of the blades.

A is an integral knife-blade, the heel of which is provided with oppositely-arranged projecting annular flanges or collars a a and with a hole a, extending through said heel, so as to form, in connection with the collars, a chamber within the heel and collars.

B indicates one of the side ribs of the knife, and B indicates the other side rib of the knife, and Bl indicates the middle rib. Each of these ribs is provided with a circular collarseat. The several collar-seats iit their respective collars, so that when the collars are seated in the collar-seats the blade is pivoted thereby. The collar-seats of the several ribs are indicated in the drawings by the letters b h b", respectively.

IOO

C C indicate caps for the two side ribs B B', and these caps cover the circular collarseats of such ribs. These caps, together with the ends of the ribs to which they are brazed or otherwise fastened, form the bolsters of the knife. Each cap is provided with an angular post-socket c (d), and preferably with a screwhole d (d) through the cap into the postsocket.

In the form shown in Fig. 3, D indicates a post arranged with its ends seated in the sockets of the caps, respectively, and d LZ" indicate screws respectively passed through the screw-holes in the caps and screwed into the ends of the post, which has threaded sockets in its ends to receive the screws. The ends of the post are angular to correspond with the sockets. In Fig. 4 the ends of the post D are riveted. In the drawings I have shown the post square in cross-section throughout. In Fig. 3 I have also shown each of the caps provided with a circular recess 2 (2') to accommodate the outer ends of the outer collars of two blades A and A. The length of the post and the proportions of the several parts are such that when the blades are in place and the post passed through the chamber and seated in the sockets in the caps and the caps are secured in place by the screws or by riveting the post the binding pressure of the fastening will all be upon the post and caps and the blades will be relieved of any binding.

The post passes through the middle of the chamber and does not touch the blade at any IIO point, and the blades are pivoted solely by the bearings formed upon each side of each blade by the collars and the collar-seats just described, and this construction balances the blade and spring and provides a strong pivotal bearing, and at the same time provides an ample chamber to receive la strong coiled spring (E E) for each blade to throw the same open. The coiled spring of each blade is arranged in the chamber o. in the blade and has one end fastened to the heel of the blade and the other end fastened to the post.

By my new construction of blade the width of the spring is allowed to be greater than the thickness of the heel of the blade, the projecting collars on each side of the heel giving increased accommodation for the spring, so that with my construction l am enabled to use in a blade of given thickness a much stronger coiled spring than it has heretofore been possible to put into such blades. Furthermore, the projecting collars close the joint between the blade and the ribs,which in the former construction referred to is open.

G indicates a spring-seating slot in the wall ofthe springchamber a to seat the end of the coiled spring. This slot extends from end to end of the chamber parallel with its axis and can be formed by sawing or in any other suitable way.

The angular ends of the post being seated in the angular sockets in the caps give a perfect fastening for the post to resist the resiliency of the coiled spring. The coiled spring is adjusted and fastened in such a way that its resiliency will throw the blade open. It could by a reverse arrangement be made to close the blade.

In order to allow the coiled spring to freely operate to open the blade, that portion of the heel of the blade which is presented toward the back-spring F when the blade is shut is rounded, so that the back-spring will not interfere with the opening of the blade at the initial movement; but the curvature of the rim of the heel is slightly spiral, constantly and regularly increasing in radius toward the back of the blade to forni a snail-cam 3, which continues to a point on the back edge of the heel which is at the rear of a line drawn at right angles to the axis of the blade through the axis of the pivot formed by the collars, and from that point onward toward the point of the blade the back of the heel of the blade is straight, substantially parallel with the axis of the blade for about one-fourth of an inch, more or less, depending upon the size of the blade to form the back-spring seat l, and there the blade is provided with a shoulder in the manner of ordinary knives, and the back-spring is of such length and is so arranged in the knife that when the knife is open the back spring-presses against the straight part or back-spring seat i of the heel and receives the shoulder 5 in the manner of ordinary knives.

The purpose of the cam form of the heel of the blade is to allow the coiledspring to operate at the initial movement of the blade, and then, after the blade has received a momentum and the spring is in full action, forcing the blade open, the cam presses against the back-spring and gradually forces it out until the blade is opened, and when the blade is open that part of the straight face or backspring seat 4c which is to the rear of the line drawn at right angles, as aforesaid, will engage the back-spring and must press it outward before the blade can be closed, so that the resiliency of the back-spring and also of the coiled spring are operative in conjunction with each other to hold the blade in its open position. This construction also cushions the blade at the latter part of its movement in opening and prevents any snapping noise. My invention in this respect embraces the combination of a knife-blade having a spring arranged to force the blade open and having a rounded heel and the back-spring shoulder and having such rounded heel arranged eccentric the pivot of the blade, the distance from the pivot to the outer edge of the heel gradually increasing toward the back-spring shoulder, so that the pressure of the back spring upon the heel will be gradually increased as the knife-blade is opened, thereby to form a cushion to prevent the blade from being thrown against the back-spring with too great force, and the back-spring arranged to bear against such rounded heelthat is to say, the rounded portion of the heel of the blade is eccentric at the back part of the blade, so that the back part of the rounded portion of the heel where it joins the back-spring seat a of the heel is farther from the pivot-flange a. than the rest of the rounded portion of the heel, so that before the knife is fully open the heel engages the back-spring F of the knife with a cam movement, thus wedgin g against the back spring and thereby being held against jamming the end of such spring and becoming loose.

The heel of the blade is provided with the catch-socket a", with which the catch G engages to hold the bladein its closed position. I provide improved concealed means for operating and releasing the catch to allow the blade to open when desired. The catch G is mounted upon the free end of the catch-spring G', which is fixed at its opposite end to the handle between the side rib B' and the facing H. A catch-spring-operating.lever g is fixed to the free end of the catch-sprin g and extends backward therefrom along the handle of the knife, and is provided at its end with the pushplate g', which in practice maybe one end of the escutcheon-plate h of the knife-handle. The facing H of the handle is provided with a push-plate hole 71, near the middle thereof. A pivot-pin p is set into the handle and extends across a slot 17 in the side rib of the handle and rests upon the outer face of said side rib and extends between the spring G IOO IIO

and the lever intermediate the ends of the lever to fulcrum the lever, so that when the plate g is pushed the lever will operate to withdraw the catch from the socket CL" in the knifeblade.

The catch-spring G is arranged in and plays in the longitudinal slot 19', provided in the side rib of the handle, and the upper wall of this slot serves as a retaining-shoulder and prevents the catch from being displaced by the action of the spring E.

lYhere my invention is applied to a knife having two blades at one end, as shown in the drawings, the partition or middle rib B should be thick, as shown in Fig. 3, in order to allow the flanges of each blade to set into the part-ition.

IVhere the invention is applied to a knife having but one blade at one end, the pivotanges of the blade are seated in the pivotholes in the ribs on each side of the handle.

By providing the heel of the blade with the large hole a, passing through the blade, and surrounding the margin of said large hole with the pivot collars oriianges a a', and thus forming the chamber for containing the bladeoperating spring, I am enabled to assemble the parts more compactly for forming a knife than has been possible in former modes of constructing knives of this class and am enabled to apply two blades to the end of the` knife, placing the catch for each blade upon that side of the handle upon which the blade is.

In the former construction above referred to the spring-post formed the pivot for the blade, and the spring was therefore necessarily exterior the blade in order to give a bearing in the blade for the pivot, and the spring therefore had to extend into the handle of the knife to such an extent as to weaken the same or require the same to be made large and clumsy, while with my construction the spring-post does not serve as a pivot and does not engage the blade at all, and I chamber the spring within the heel of the blade, and the pivot is not required to extend beyond the rib or lining of the handle. The ribs are arranged seating the pivot collars or flanges and form the bearings for said pivot-flanges, and owing to the large size of the pivots formed by the flanges the bearings of short length which are given by the knife-ribs afford such strength as to secure the blade in a more perfect manner than was the casein said former construction.

The push-plate is arranged fiush with the face of the handle, and the catch-operating lever is thin, and only a small pivot is required to fulcrum the same, and the lever is wholly concealed underneath the facing of the handle, so that to exterior view the knife presents the appearance of an ordinary knife, and the catch-operating device does not form a protuberance and is not liable to be accidentally operated to release the blade while the knife is in the pocket.

Then it is desired to open the knife, the push-plate is pressed in, and this withdraws the catch from its socket and allows the coiled spring to throw the blade open. The heel of the blade forms a bea-rin g for the catch at the times when the catch is not in the socket, so that the blade can easily be closed, and when it is closed the catch-spring will force the catch into the catch-socket, thus holding the blade in its closed position until released by pressure upon the push-plate. The operation can be performed with one hand both in opening and in closing. The blade when open is always ready to be closed just the same as the blade of an ordinary pocket-knife.

In practice each blade of the knife is provided with a spring-catch, and any blade may be opened by pressing upon its respective push-plate.

If the post is fastened in the handle bythe screws, as shown in Fig. 3, the knife may be easily taken to pieces by removing such screws, thus to allow repair if the spring should become broken.

My invention may be applied to knives having a single blade or to knives having any number of blades desired, and where knives have more than one blade one or more of the blades maybe applied in accordance with my invention, and the other blades may be applied in the usual manner, if desired.

New, having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

l. In a knife the combination of an integral blade the heel of which is provided with 0ppositely-arranged projecting collars and with a hole extending through the heel to form in connection with the collars a chamber; the ribs provided with circular seats arranged seating the colla-rs, respectively; a post ex tending through the chamber and fastened to the sides of the knife and a spring ar ranged within the chamber and having one end fastened to the heel and the other to the post.

2. In a knife the combination of an integral blade the heel of which is provided with oppositely-arranged projecting collars and with a hole which extends through the heel so as to form in connection with the collars a chamber; the ribs provided with circular seats arranged seating the collars, respectively; caps arranged outside such seats and each provided with a hole; a post extending from cap to cap through the chamber; and screws inserted through the holes in the caps and screwed into the ends of the post.

3. In a knife the combination of an integral blade the heel of which is provided with oppositely-arranged projecting colla-rs and with a hole which extends through the blade so as to form in connection with the collars a chamber; the ribs provided with circular seats arranged seating the collars, respectively; caps arranged outside such seats and provided with the angular post-sockets and with holes IOO IIO

extending from the outside of such caps into such sockets, respectively; a post extending through the chamber and arranged with its ends fastened in the sockets; and a spring arranged within the chamber and having one end fastened to the heel and the other end fastened to the post.

l. The knife set forth comprising two blades, the heel of each of which is provided with oppositelyarranged projecting collars and with a hole which extends through the blade and forms in connection with the collars, a chamber; the middle rib, provided with a circular collar-seat and arranged with one collar of each blade in such seat; the side rib provided with a circular collar-seat and arranged with the outer collar of one of the blades, in such seat; the other side rib provided with a circular collar-seat and arranged with the outer collar of the other blade in such collar-seat3 two caps, one foreach collar-seat of the outer ribs; a post extending through the chambers of both blades and fixed at its ends to the caps 5 two springs, one in each of the chanibers and each fastened at one end to the post and at the other end to its respective blade; and the two blade-catches respectively niounted in the opposite outside ribs to catch and release the opposite blades, respectively.

5. In a knife the combination of the three ribs each provided with a circula-r collar-seat7 the two blades, each provided with the oppositely-arranged projecting collars and with the hole to form the chambers, and arranged on opposite sides of the middle rib with one colla-r of each blade seated in the collar-seat of such rib, and with the outer collars of the blades seated in the collar-seats of the outer ribs, respectively; the two caps, each provided with an angular post-seat and a screwhole and respectively fastened to the outer ribs and arranged to cover the collar-seats of the outer ribs; the post extending through the chambers and arranged with angular ends seated in the post-seats in the caps, and the screws respectively inserted through the caps and screwed into the en ds of the posts.

6. In a knife such as set forth the combination of the side rib provided with a longitudinal slot; a spring provided at its free end with a catch and fixed at the other end to the handle of the knife and arranged in said slot; the facing of the handle provided with a pushplate hole near the middle thereof; the springcatch-operating lever Xed to the free end of the catch-spring and arranged in the slot in the rib and provided at its other end with the push-plate arranged in the push-plate hole; and the pivot fixed to the handle and arranged between the spring and leverinterinediate the ends of the lever to fulcrurn the lever and eX- tending across the slot and resting upon the outer face of the side rib.

7. In a knife, the combination of a blade having a heel which is rounded and is slightly spiral, constantly and regularly increasing in radius toward the back of the blade to forni a snail-cani which continues to a point in the back edge of the heel, which point is just at the rear of a line drawn at right angles to the axis of the blade, through the axis of the pivot, and which heel from that point onward toward the point of the blade is straight a short distance to form the back-spring seat and is there provided with the back-spring shoulder; the blade-opening spring arranged, independent of the back-spring, to force the blade open; and the back-spring arranged to bear against such rounded heel and engage such shoulder substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

ADOLPH K. BRAUER. lVitnesses JAMEs R. TowNsEND, ALFRED I. TowNsEND. 

